Preds Remain In Hunt

Orlando Managed To Beat Buffalo 48-40 In The Season Finale Friday Night And Kept Its Playoff Hopes Alive.

July 31, 1999|By Patrick Wampler of The Sentinel Staff

The Orlando Predators just cannot do anything the easy way.

Take Friday night's 48-40 victory over the Buffalo Destroyers at Orlando Arena.

Buffalo (1-13) won for just the first time last week against Portland. Friday's game shaped up as an easy victory for the Predators, but that was not the case.

After taking a 28-3 lead over Buffalo in the first half, Orlando (7-7) let the Destroyers back in the game. Buffalo scored 17 points in the final 1:46 of the first half to make the score 28-20 at halftime. To make things even more interesting, Buffalo took the opening kickoff in the second half to the Orlando goal line but couldn't score.

Orlando, fighting for its playoff life, desperately needed a win to have a chance of defending its ArenaBowl Championship. The Predators got the victory and now must wait to see what happens around the league this weekend before learning if they make the playoffs. The Predators have not missed the playoffs since 1991, their first season.

Still, Friday night's victory was not guaranteed until the closing seconds.

``It's been the story of our season,'' said Predators Coach Jay Gruden. ``A great quarter here, a horrible quarter there. It's been 14 weeks now. Once we get in the playoffs, if we get in the playoffs, we can't let that happen.''

Once again, penalties and mental mistakes hurt the Predators.

In the first quarter, Orlando quarterback Connell Maynor, who was getting his first start in the AFL, was hot. He began the game completing four-of-six passes for 44 yards and two touchdowns.

``We got off to a great start,'' Maynor said. ``I was anxious to get out there and prove myself. I wasn't nervous.''

Maynor added another touchdown pass in the second quarter, then got some help from the Predators' defense, especially cornerback Kenny McEntyre, who returned a pass from Tony Kimbrough 16 yards for a score.

``[Teammate) Bret Cooper really should have had that ball,'' McEntyre said. ``The ball went through his hands, and once I got it, I knew I should score.''

The defense came out hard in the first half, keeping Buffalo out of the end zone until the end of the half. But that is when things got sloppy.

Fortunately, McEntyre and safety Damon Mason made big plays in the defensive backfield all night. McEntyre's interception return for a touchdown was his third of the year, setting a Predators' record. Mason set a league record for tackles in a season with his 109th at the beginning of the second half. He finished with 116.

``We knew we had to come out there and play hard. Buffalo is a lot better team than their record,'' Mason said. ``We didn't want to give up the big play. They nickel-and-dimed us all night, but we didn't give up the big one.''

The game wasn't decided until the the final horn sounded. With less than a minute left in the fourth quarter, Orlando had the lead, but Buffalo had the ball. The Destroyers scored a touchdown and made the extra point to trail 42-40.

Buffalo tried an onside kick, but Orlando recovered and scored a last-second touchdown.

``I we can get in the playoffs we can help this whole miserable season out,'' Gruden said. ``Once we get in, we're not in as a seven or eight seed, we're in as ArenaBowl Champions.''